Just catching up on the J18 thread having been away last week; loads of
interesting themes which I would like to comment on, but a few initial
thoughts in response.

As I said earlier, I found the event profoundly moving and emotionally
exhausting. Standing inside LIFFE watching the marble and glass interior
being absolutely trashed was unforgettable. I can't pretend that I was a
very active participant or that at the time I felt completely at ease with
this spectacular demolition. But on reflection, like David Wood, I have no
regrets. I'm happy it happened. The bankers had it coming.

Here is something that was never mentioned in the media: as we assembled
outside LIFFE and the music and drums started, a large number of brokers
congregated on the balcony and began taunting the crowd who (at that time)
were good humoured and peaceful. The brokers made it abundantly clear - by
means of a fascinating repertoire of hand signals - that they were
unimpressed with the slogans of the crowd (one solution: revolution / the
earth is a common treasury for all etc). They started throwing waste paper
like confetti, some of which I kept - used dealing cards showing currency
transactions from various trading houses. Given this display of contempt it
seemed entirely unsurprising that the crowd was determined to enter the
building.

Something else which didn't get reported: the worst violence I saw was from
the far right who were also out in significant numbers. I remember at the
time of the poll tax riots, the claim that much of the extreme violence was
perpetrated by neo-nazi groups in an attempt to discredit the Left. I didn't
really believe it at the time, but I saw it happen at J18.  I had a
near-violent encounter with a combat 18-style facist after arguing with him
about throwing bottles. His bottle was not aimed at LIFFE or at the police
but at other demonstrators - I wasn't an ideal target because I was white,
though it was still flattering to be branded 'scum'.

I don't share Chris Wilbert's concern re: video cam spectacle. Like Rhys, I
think it represents an appropration of surveillance technology to further
the aims of the demonstrators - and, of course, a very effective and
strategic weapon against police aggression.

I agree with Steve Pile and hope that I never implied a seperation between
the politics of the street and the politics of the academy. But I do think
that in the normal course of writing and research it is easy to conceive of
them as discontinuous which is why being at the carnival was a great
reminder that they are one and the same.

>Finally, if there were 3,000 people there, then they were probably there
for
>about 3,000 different reasons -- so this would, I think, give us a little
>pause for thought before declaring "the revolution" alive and well and
>living in London.

I'm not quite sure why you write this, Steve. On one level, yes, that is
self-evident. But it reminds me of the sort of argument I constantly have
with the SWP ( and where were they on friday? - hardly a trot in sight!). As
if we have to have some extra-ordinary unity of purpose before we can
challenge capitalism. Out of this manifold identity comes a real strength.

>PS I don't suppose that Debord mentioned whether 'ideology' or 'theory' was
>the good Guy?

an unforgiveable pun!  "The proletarian revolution is predicated entirely on
the requirement that ... theory ... be recognized and directly lived by the
masses. The revolution requires that the workers become dialecticians and
inscribe their thought upon practice". (SotS, #123). okay, not a great
answer but it is worth a read.

>3.  I agree with all the points about the spaces of politics - but at least
>this demo was actively seeking to highlight the networking practices that
>co-produce environments and lives - it seemed to make wonderful sense after
>the years of limited spatial imaginations that have plagued the
>environmental movement (obsessed with bounded notions of locality and
sucked
>into the rampant globalising discourses etc...)

Agree entirely, Phil.  Like David Harvey's vision in JNGD, I see the
carnival as part of a 'long urban-based revolution that should have the
exploration and construction of alternative social processes and spatial
forms as its long term goal albeit through short term and often place-based
movements and actions'

David's point about the overestimate of the countryside march is _very_
relevant. The Observer had 10,000 for J18 but I still think that was a
conservative estimate.


Fraser MacDonald

School of Geography
University of Oxford
Oxford
OX1 3JA




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